“The main purpose of primary school assessments is to improve pupils’ learning and progress during their primary school years” (Wyse et al., 2022, P.34). This can be seen to be an idealised definition of assessment practice, in a time of increased standardised testing worldwide (Morris, 2011). The “debilitating effects” of low test scores, and the impact on students’ self-esteem and their perception of themselves as learners, are well-documented (Richmond and Regan, 2021; Harlen and Deakin Crick, 2002). This is particularly relevant in European nations, such as Germany, where high-stakes standardised testing can be used to determine primary students’ school progression and future academic pathways (Eurydice, 2024). 

It is within this context that my research seeks to empower students with the agency to collaboratively design, create and evaluate their own assessment tasks. Such a student-centred approach to assessment can promote “reflection, learning and growth” (European Commission, 2024, P.47). It is through an active engagement with the assessment process, together with critical self-reflection, that we may see the development of deeper learning, greater content retention and increased motivation for the learning process.

The overarching objective of my research is to explore the potential benefits to learning and assessment of primary school children through increased student agency and active participation in the design of assessment tasks. I hope to achieve this through multiple focus group discussions and a directed intervention process within a Year Three classroom in Germany, of which I am the class teacher.

This research seeks to explore the lived experiences of these students. As such, my specific research questions are:

1. How do these students experience, understand and value the autonomy of co-designing assessment tasks?

1. To what extent and in what ways might collaborative co-designing assessment processes with primary school children support their learning?

1. In what ways do students’ understanding of assessment change when they are directly involved in the co-design process?

While the use of co-design has often been used with students and young people for software design and testing (Guha et al., 2013), there is little research that gives students the possibility of co-designing assessment tasks. This method would allow students the opportunity to “assume decision-making responsibilities through teacher-pupil planning” as well as provide opportunities for students to become active agents in the decision-making process (Edmund and Guzzetta, 1960, P.6). My research introduces the theories of co-design, democratic partnership and participatory research into the primary classroom, promoting not only student agency, but also, through collaborative communication, critical thinking and creativity, developing key competences for lifelong learning (European Commission, 2019).

The use of co-design in the classroom has many positive potentials, as seen through an extensive review of the literature. A clear link can be seen with a holistic, child-centred learning environment, one wherein students become active and equal research partners (Druin, 1999). Co-design allows for “close collaboration between all the stakeholders in the design development process” (Sanders & Stappers, 2008, P.16). It is through this process of giving students an active voice in their assessment practices that I feel new knowledge can be gained on how primary aged students understand and engage with assessment practices. 

As data generation and analysis takes place between January and June 2025, I will be able to highlight emergent findings and early-stage analysis of this intervention. 

In order to answer my research questions, students will take part in two focus group discussions and an intervention, where they will reflect upon assessment tools, discuss strategies and develop their own assessment tasks. The intervention consists of six sessions, between 45-60 minutes. Focus group discussions allow me to better understand student experiences with assessment, as well as their developing opinions and understandings of the purpose of assessment in school. During these discussions, I make use of the stimulated recall method, using artifacts such as classroom portfolios, worksheets and previous assessment pieces, both formative and summative, in order to generate discussion and reflection (Morgan et al., 2002). During the intervention process, students will be working collaboratively on the design and creation of assessment tasks. I will use this opportunity to engage with the student participants, ask questions about their thinking and reflect with them upon their ideas. This method of “idea elaboration” (Druin, 2002; Guha et al., 2013) allows for a collaborative building and development of theories, opinions and suggestions, ultimately resulting in new ideas and approaches. Through my observations as a “participant observer” (Thomas, 2013), I will be discussing, reflecting and exchanging ideas and opinions with the students. Through this form of data collection, I will be able to track any changes that may or may not take place in student opinion and understanding of assessment over the course of the project. Co-design can change “how we design, what we design, and who designs” (Sanders & Stappers, 2008, P.15), thus allowing students the opportunity to become actively involved in the creation of their own assessment processes. In the final reflective focus group, “research results [can be] co-interpreted by the designer-researchers and the participants who will use the design” (Spinuzzi, 2005, P.164), thus allowing students to reflect upon the co-design process, the production and the implementation.

Throughout my doctoral journey, I have explored alternative assessment theories and practices. This has impacted my own approach to assessment design within the classroom, where a greater emphasis has been placed on student choice. Making use of co-design strategies invites students into a deeper level of engagement with their learning and assessment, which I feel can ultimately benefit student learning and success. While co-design strategies lend themselves well to student-led classroom-based activities, little research explores this. My research seeks to implement these strategies in the form of a classroom intervention, allowing students the opportunity to reassess their understanding and appreciation of classroom evaluation. Co-design strategies involve students engaging in a dialogue around their learning. In this novel research, students work with their peers and their teacher to create assessment tasks. The collaborative and creative nature of the intervention promotes the development critical problem solving, key skills highlighted in the European Commission’s “Key Competences for Lifelong Learning” (2019). I believe this research could provide a forum for the discussion into student agency in assessment, allowing students to assume greater responsibility and autonomy for how they wish to demonstrate their understanding and ultimately better understand how this process can remain an important and relevant aspect of their learning journey. The findings of this research would be of particular interest to teachers, school leaders and policy makers interested in a holistic, student-centred approach to assessment in the primary classroom.

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